Are you (or have you been) in my current situation?
Yes actually I think I’ve shared my frustration with this community in the past…my circumstances in life made it difficult to record carefully planned, cohesive projects. I hate the feeling of missed potential.
Currently I still battle this but am really well supported by my partner and an enthusiastic core of fans & friends who help me. I feel motivated to overcome personal disappointment to continue creating.
Do you set yourself a goal when creating music?
Yes, but I’ve benefitted by recalibrating my thinking on the subject. My first goal is to demonstrate growth…this can manifest in many ways: working more quickly on a part of the process, improving skill, improving fidelity in the signal paths i frequently use, learning a neglected feature of some tools. I try not to work on them all at once, just build on things naturally.
That approach fits well with my second guiding objective: to demonstrate honesty. If i’m incapable of executing an idea i try and fail and still find a way to use the result. Also if I’m keen on using a particular tool that I need time to learn, i simply wait until I’ve made time to teach myself the ropes. When it’s obvious I won’t have time or lack sufficient interest in the method i’ll readily abandon it (or sell the piece of gear / kill the urge to buy the piece).
Do you set yourself a goal…a genre, a form, something else?
Always! I set off with a clear goal but never limit myself once the journey of recording begins. If I deviate too much from the intended theme/genre/process i initially had in mind…I will record the pure expression (corruption?) anyway and save for a new project where that track might fit perfectly.
How do you choose your focus?
My mood and time contraints dictate what I do each day. But to be more proactive and focused, for most of the past year I kept a to-do list while working on several projects simultaneously. Working on only one feels a bit paralyzing!
Currently the taks list is managed with Github Projects and as new opportunities and ideas pop up I add them. When tasks or whole releases are complete then I remove them (If anybody wants to see, or is curious about my current focus just ask)
How do you manage your love for different kinds of music, when it comes to your own music making?
I make them all and blend them all. Loving many styles is normal and if I’m being honest with myself, I have to try the ones I’m passionate about. I look to nature for inspiration … producing diverse and wildly divergent forms is totally natural and I’ve spent a ton of time meditating on the fact that the creator is unparalleled in this respect. Too tight a focus on one defining thing would be personally limiting and also deprive listeners from seeing me for who I truly am.
It helps me see things I wouldn’t otherwise have noticed when I compare contrasting styles made by the same artist. Usually my appreciation for their work increases.